Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of animals, particularly humans. The common bed bug, Cimex Lectularius, is adapted to living with humans and prefers feeding on human blood. Bed bugs have lived with humans since ancient times, although many people living in the United States have never seen a bed bug. However, increase of international travel in recent decades has contributed to a resurgence of bed bugs in the United States. Many aspects of bed bugs make their eradication difficult once bed bugs have established a presence in a location.
Adult bed bugs are about ¼ inch or about 4-6 millimeters long, 3-5 millimeters wide, and reddish-brown with oval, flattened bodies. The immature nymphs are similar in appearance to the adults but smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but they can move very quickly over surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas and can deposit up to five eggs per day, and as many as 500 during a lifetime. The bed bug eggs are very small, about 1 mm in length. When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to surfaces. The eggs hatch in about one to three weeks and go through five nymphal stages before reaching maturity in about 35-48 days.
Bed bug infestations begin by bed bugs crawling from place to place (e.g., from one room to another), or by a bed bug being carried into a new area. Bed bugs are able to cling to possessions and hide in small spaces so that they may easily be transported in a traveler's belongings or in furniture being moved. As a result, buildings where turnover of occupants is high, such as hotels or apartments, are especially vulnerable to bed bug infestations.
Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed and will typically find a shelter or hiding place, such as a small crack or crevice in or around a bed or couch. Bed bugs are mainly active during the nighttime, making them hard to detect. Bed bugs easily find hiding places in beds, bed frames, furniture, along baseboards, in carpeting, behind loose wall paper, and countless other places. Once established in a location, bed bugs tend to aggregate but do not build nests like some other insects.
Infestations are not likely to be eliminated by leaving a location unoccupied as bed bugs can survive long periods of time without feeding. Adult bed bugs can persist months without feeding, and in certain conditions even up to a year or more. Nymphs can survive weeks or months without feeding.
Bed bugs obtain their sustenance by drawing blood from a mammal through an elongated proboscis (or beak). They may feed on a human for 3 to 10 minutes although the person is not likely to feel the bite. After the bite, the victim may experience an itchy welt or swelling in the area of the bite. However, some people do not have any reaction or only a very minor reaction to a bed bug bite. Bed bug bites have symptoms that are similar to other insect bites, such as mosquitoes and ticks. It is not possible to determine whether the bite is from a bed bug or another type of insect without actually observing the bed bug or detecting nearby products of an infestation. As a result, bed bug infestations may go long periods without being detected.
Bed bugs are difficult to completely eradicate because of their tendency to hide, their ability to survive long times without food, and the small size of the eggs. In order to detect, trap, and/or eradicate bed bugs, it would be beneficial to provide for a composition and method to attract bed bugs to a trap or to a location where an insecticide or pesticide is present.